Hilliard earned a starting job for the Cowboys during his freshman year and has remained in the lineup since. He has spent a lot of time at both left and right tackle during his career. As a junior last year, he earned All Big 12 2nd Team honors.
Hilliard is a quality all around lineman prospect. He shows good mobility in pass protection, but also creates room as a run blocker. He sets up quickly and has the feet to mirror a defenders moves. In run blocking he gets good initial pop on his blocks, and battles to finish the play and keep his man out of the action. Playing both right and left tackle gives him the versatility that teams crave.
While he is solid all around, he does not dominate in any one area. He is a solid pass blocker, but lacks the standout athleticism to truly project to the left side, and lacks the power at the point of attack to drive players off the ball.
Hilliard is a solid right tackle prospect. He doesn’t jump out at you with any standout physical tools but he gets the job done on a consistent basis. His all around skills fit better on the right side, because he may not have ideal athleticism to play on the left side, but his experience could allow him to play there when needed.